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36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classics in major and minor!, 21 May 2004
It was with great pleasure that I discovered Universal were finally releasing 'Werewolf of London' on dvd. I already had 'The Wolfman', but had never even seen WoL.Everyone with even the remotest of interests in the horror genre will already be aware of 'The Wolfman'; it could be argued that this movie was the last genuine Universal classic horror of the 1930s and 1940s. Everything about it is right; it it one of those precious few genuinely timeless classics that can be viewed and re - viewed with equal pleasure and deserves a place on any collector's shelf. Less familiar is 'Werewolf of London', Universal's first attempt at a fully fledged werewolf movie and an interesting comparrison with their later, far more successful, one. The films are really quite different; a major difference is reflected in Henry Hull's performance. Unlike Lon Chaney jnr's Larry Talbot, Hull's Dr.Wilfred Glendon is difficult to sympathise with. From the outset he comes across as brusque, pompous, terse and snobbish. Oddly, it's not until the later stages, as he's becoming increasingly lupine, that his more human side begins to emerge. This serves to suggest tragedy but the nails have already been pounded into the coffin of his marriage by the earlier arrival of his wife's childhood sweetheart. In 'The Wolfman', however, the tragedy of Talbot's situation is played to the maximum; there is no doubt in our minds that he is a victim who clearly deserves our pity. There's far more of a 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' feeling to 'Werewolf of London'; the laboratory, Glendon taking rooms in a seedy part of London in the hope of concealing his alter ego and the climax, which would be hard to distinguish from a Jekyll and Hyde film. No silver bullets, (Curt Siodmak wasn't involved with this film) but a little bit of Hollywood folklore was born.... 'the werewolf instinctively seeks to kill the thing it loves best' warns the sinister Dr. Yogami ( ex - Fu Manchu Warner oland), a theme that does seem to have endured. It would be worth buying just for 'Werwolf of London', but two great movies at this price....... brilliant! Both films are presented in wonderfully clear editions in this set, the extras are well worth having and the presentation is aesthetically very pleasing. I have the feeling that these sets will become collectors items and would heartilly reccommend any movie fan to buy them while they can.
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